As a young child, I always looked forward to December 6, when St Nicholas would enter our house, under cover of night, and fill our hung stockings with fruits and candy, or an occasional lump of coal, reserved for those who were naughty during the past year.  It wasn’t much, but added some merriment in early December.    

Historically, St Nicholas lived in the 4th century, in Asia Minor (where Turkey is today).  He came from a wealthy family, became a bishop in the church and devoted much of his life to helping people less fortunate than he.  The legend says that to help a needy family, he had dropped gold coins down a chimney which fell into a stocking, which had been hung up to dry.  Much later, European countries followed the custom of hanging up stockings every December 5, so St Nicholas could fill them with goodies.  Dutch children would put out their shoes for the same purpose.  (whychristmas.com) 

As a child, my home did not have a fireplace or mantle, so we hung the stockings from a shelf between our living and dining rooms.  The stockings were small, so the gifts were too.  I recall receiving candy and fruit, usually an apple or an orange.  But the unwanted item — a lump of coal, always found its way into my stocking.  Coal epitomized that the bearer had not always been good over the year.  Coal brought guffaws around.  My siblings fooled the good saint, as they never received any coal.

With our children, we continued the practice, but coal was no longer available, so the “better be good or else” never happened.  The goodies included fruit and candy, as before, but added some toys or crafts.

When our grandchildren arrived on the scene, the stockings were hung from a real mantle over a functional fireplace, and the stockings became larger, so the contents expanded over time, ultimately exceeding the storage capacity of the stockings.  Now, wrapped presents were stacked on the floor under each hung stocking, which also multiplied as our family expanded.  Where is that lump of coal when we need it?

Our St Nicholas stocking day continued when our oldest grandchildren attended college, as an elf assisting St Nicholas to mail the stocking and present fillers to their dormitory.  

The spirit of St Nicholas continues.